Top home break-in prevention tips for the holiday shopping season

Thieves are looking for homes when people aren’t there but their expensive gifts and electronics are.

With the holiday shopping season well underway, home break-in prevention becomes more important than it is at many other times of the year. Thieves know that many of us travel during this season, we stay out late attending parties, and we make major purchases for great gifts under the tree.

In order to keep that festive feeling and protect yourself from break-ins and theft, prevention is necessary.

Home break-in prevention can help you from being added to the growing statistic during the holidays each year. In around Christmastime and the summertime, thieves are most active in breaking into both houses and apartment units.

Take care not to allow your holidays to be ruined by theft and vandalism in your home. That way, you can be sure to place the rest of your focus where it should be: on celebrating with friends and family.

Some of the best and easiest home break-in prevention techniques involve a bit of common sense.

The most effective, simplest and most affordable techniques make it so your home isn’t an easy target. The more deterrent action you can take to protect your home, the less likely it will be that you’ll experience a break-in. Begin with the following steps, and you’ll already be well on your way to protecting your property and possessions:

• Look at your home through a criminal’s eyes – Walk around your property, assessing it. Look at it from the outside both before and after dark. Look for anything that might make your home look appealing to a thief or that might make it seem easy to break into.
• Lock your doors and windows – Install deadbolts on your doors, safety bars on your sliding doors and secure locking windows. Additional features such as strike plates and mag locks can also make your home too much of a bother for a criminal to try to break into. Don’t run extension cords from inside your home to outside to power your Christmas lights. It may be all a burglar needs to get in. Once you’ve installed your locks, use them, as they’re your primary home break-in prevention technique.
• Light your home – Motion triggered lights outside will take away thieves’ ability to hide in dark corners. Make sure lights come on inside your home whether you’re there or not. If you’re going to be late coming home or are out of town, put a few lamps on a timer to make it seem as though someone is there.
• Use curtains and blinds – Use blinds and curtains to stop thieves from seeing into your home after dark. This will stop them from seeing what they might like to steal from you. Leave the curtains closed during the daytime if you have a Christmas tree with a pile of gifts underneath.
• Dispose of gift boxes with care – If you place a massive box for your new expensive electronics out at the curb with your recycling, this will signal to thieves that there is something expensive inside and that it’s worth their while to break in.
• Manage your deliveries – If you’re going to be away, cancel your newspaper and have your mail held. If you’re expecting a package when you’re not home, don’t leave a note for the delivery person. This is an obvious sign that no one is home.
• Work with your neighbors – Watch out for your neighbors and ask them to watch out for your home, too. If you’re going to be away, have a neighbor you trust keep an eye on the place. Even if all they do is walk up and down the driveway in the snow to leave footprints, it will make your home look like someone is there.

With these simple tips, you don’t need to spend a lot of money for home break-in prevention, but will effectively keep your property safe.